UVM hockey teams riding high into weekend

The Catamounts blew a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 in overtime to UMass-Lowell at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Friday night. Photos by Brian Jenkins/for the Free Press
ALEX ABRAMI/Free Press

Vermont celebrates a goal during the men's hockey game between the UMass-Lowell River Hawks and the Vermont Catamounts at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Friday night January 19, 2018 in Burlington.(Photo: BRIAN JENKINS/for the FREE PRESS)

Vermont had not duplicated that feat until last weekend when the women took two from Northeastern at The Gut, 5-2 and 4-3, and the men collected back-to-back 2-1 decisions at Merrimack.

Which leads to this week:

Looking for more

Now the Catamount teams will try to extend their modest win streaks — 3 for the men; 2 for the women — as their respective Hockey East seasons enter the stretch drives. The men will entertain No. 8 Providence at Gutterson on Friday and Saturday while the women have a split schedule, traveling to Boston University on Friday and hosting Merrimack on Sunday.

The twin 2-1 wins vaulted the men from the Hockey East cellar into a tie for eighth place tie with Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The Catamounts are one point ahead of last-place Merrimack. UVM is six points in arrears of Connecticut but the Huskies have already played three more league games than UVM has.

UVM has eight games left in which to make a push for a first-round home playoff series, including the PC series.

The women, like the men, had not received many rewards for much improved play recently until last weekend. Sitting in seventh, they have only five games remaining with a virtual guarantee they’ll be on the road in the playoffs. UVM is seven points out of a tie for fourth and home ice for that series.

A boost to confidence

Vermont forward Alex Esposito (22) and UMass Lowell's Niklas Folin (27) battle for the puck during the men's hockey game between the UMass-Lowell River Hawks and the Vermont Catamounts at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Friday night January 19, 2018 in Burlington.(Photo: BRIAN JENKINS/for the FREE PRESS)

Men’s coach Kevin Sneddon pronounced the sweep of Merrimack as a product of growing confidence.

“Obviously we’ve lost our fair share of 1-goal games,” Sneddon said of the eight games UVM had lost by either one goal or those including empty-net tallies. Prior to Merrimack, Vermont had two such wins.

Sneddon traced the Catamounts’ growing confidence back to the Lowell series where UVM yielded a 2-0 third-period lead in an overtime loss but rebounded 6-3 the next night despite letting a 4-0 lead slip to 4-3.

“It was a good show of character when we lost in overtime on a tough call, a tough bounce, to come back the next night and beat Lowell,” he said. “I thought we had played well the night before. In terms of confidence, that was a much-needed win.

“Then to go on the road and come away with two 2-1 wins in a tough place to play, that’s certainly a confidence boost,” he said.

One line clearly playing with confidence was Alex Esposito (1 goals, 3 assists), Ross Colton (2 goals, 2 assist) and Matt Alvaro (1 goal, 2 assists). Alvaro’s return from injury has established the threesome as UVM’s top line.

Here come the Friars

Eighth-ranked Providence (17-8-3, 10-5-3) is “solid from the net out,” according to Sneddon.

“Their young blue line has been effective for them. They have dynamic forwards and balanced lines so you can’t focus on shutting down one line and they certainly play well from an offensive perspective,” Sneddon said.

“They’re strong over pucks. They’re big and physical. They’re patient; they try to wait for you to make mistakes,” said Sneddon. He said UVM will need to bring strong and relentless pressure to disrupt the Friars.

The Catamounts enter the game in good physical shape with only freshman forward Ace Cowans listed as day-to-day at midweek.

Finally, some rewards

Catamount forward Eve-Audrey Picard (26) skates with the puck during the women's hockey game between the Northeastern Huskies and the Vermont Catamounts at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Friday night January 26, 2018 in Burlington.(Photo: BRIAN JENKINS/for the FREE PRESS)

Like the Merrimack sweep for the men, the Catamount women finally saw positive results for their improved play with the two wins over Northeastern behind Eve-Audrey Picard’s five goals and six points.

“In some ways it’s a sigh of relief in that you have to have some results sooner or later to keep people feeling that the work they are doing is going somewhere,” coach Jim Plumer said. “On the other hand, I’ve been saying since January that I’m not surprised by the way the team has been playing.

“Certainly for us to have been playing good hockey for the second half and get a really good weekend of solid play that gets rewarded is great heading into this last home stretch,” he said.

With five games left, Vermont (8-16-4, 5-11-3) is in seventh place, four points behind Boston University. The Catamounts are also two points up on Connecticut and three on Merrimack in the race for the final two spots. The last-place team does not make the playoffs.

This weekend’s games at BU (10-13-5, 6-10-5) and home to Merrimack (9-17-3, 4-13-2) give Vermont a chance not only to move up the standings but also push the Warriors closer to elimination and UVM closer to a playoff berth.

“We know there are limitations on how high we can go but I think with the way this season has gone, it probably puts almost a playoff atmosphere on every game at this point, not only for places in the standings and even to make the standings,” Plumer said. “We’re not in a secure spot right now but the kind of hockey we’re playing right now, if we keep doing that then we’re going to scare some people when the playoffs come.”

Ice chips: While Colton was Hockey East’s player of the week for his two game-winning goals, Picard’s great weekend did not earn her the women’s award … As playoff time nears for Division 3 leagues, the Norwich men (15-5-1, 11-2-1 NEHC), the St. Michael’s men (10—2, 7-3-1 NE-10), the Norwich women (17-1-2; 10-0-0 NEHC) and the Middlebury women (12-4-1, 8-1-1 NESCAC) all reside in first place in their respective leagues … Nationally, the Cadet men are ranked No. 11 … In the women’s poll, Norwich is No. 1 and the Panthers are No. 4 …

Correspondent Ted Ryan covers UVM hockey for The Burlington Free Press. Contact him at TedRyanVT@aol.com and follow him on Twitter at @TedRyanVT.